Chapter 317 – The Book of Life and Death Condenses!

Although Mu Lin claimed he was not yet invincible, the smile at the corner of his mouth was impossible to suppress.

Admittedly, if others cultivated other Mystical Arts or Cultivation Methods to the Grandmaster Level, they would not be weaker than him—perhaps even stronger.

After all, no Grandmaster is weak.

The saying “A Grandmaster must not be insulted” holds some truth—referring to genuine Grandmasters who have synthesized various schools to forge their own path, not those who merely seek fame.

But the key point is, others do not have an Attribute Panel, making it difficult for them to reach the Grandmaster Level.

“Only Mortal Shedding cultivators—especially the strongest among them, the Prodigies—these freaks have the slightest possibility of cultivating a technique to the Grandmaster Level.”

“As for Spell Masters in the Gang Sha Realm, unless they have been stuck in that realm for over a hundred years, it is absolutely impossible for them to master a Grandmaster Level Mystical Art.”

“So, as long as I don’t recklessly challenge those above my realm, I am invincible—and even immortal.”

…

Soul Refinement, or Will Refinement Into Body, meant that every drop of Mu Lin’s blood contained his consciousness. As long as he absorbed sufficient energy, he could be reborn from a single drop of blood.

Soon, Mu Lin discovered that the benefits of Soul Refinement went even further.

“Inhale… exhale…”

The infusion of will into his body activated his cells. Now, every cell in his body was greedily absorbing energy, eager to evolve.

For Mu Lin, this was undoubtedly a good thing.

With all his cells actively absorbing energy, his cultivation speed increased severalfold.

Moreover, the cells’ desire for evolution sparked an idea in him.

“I recall a Cultivation Method called the Divine Elephant Suppressing Prison Technique. That method posits that the human body is composed of 840 million particles. Once their potential is unlocked, each particle can transform into a divine elephant. With 840 million particles, that means 840 million divine elephants. When mastered, this technique allows one to overturn rivers and seas, roar down stars, and even pluck the moon from the sky with a single thought.”

This technique was excellent, but for one, Mu Lin did not have the specific cultivation method, and for another, he followed the path of the Nether Bureaucracy and Netherworld Palace, not martial arts. Thus, he had no intention of pursuing it.

However, he was willing to draw inspiration from it.

“My body’s particles don’t need to transform into divine elephants but into Deities of the Nether Bureaucracy… 840 million is too many. The grade of my world isn’t as high as theirs. If I tried to nurture 840 million Deities of the Nether Bureaucracy, I could devour the entire world and it still wouldn’t be enough. I’ll work on this after leaving this world. For the first stage, I’ll cultivate my acupoints… The human body has 365 major acupoints. I can nurture a Deity of the Nether Bureaucracy in each acupoint… The spine can be used to nurture the Great Dragon—the Candle Dragon!”

“With 365 Orthodox Gods of Nether Bureaucracy, if I succeed in cultivating them and contain their Divine Power within my body, then my body will become a divine temple, the Netherworld Palace, and even a world… the path of the Emperor of the Underworld… Yes, this is the way of the Emperor of the Underworld. When I have nurtured all 365 Orthodox Gods of Nether Bureaucracy, it will also be the moment I fully achieve the status of the Great Emperor of Lidu and the Lord of Mount Tai.”

At this moment, Mu Lin’s eyes gleamed, and he muttered incessantly. His expression was fervent, yet also somewhat… detached and indifferent.

No wonder he reacted this way. Previously, Mu Lin had always clamored about becoming the Emperor of the Underworld, the Great Emperor of Lidu, and the Lord of Mount Tai, but it was merely a delusion—he had no idea how to achieve it.

Now, however, Mu Lin had truly found a path.

Although nurturing three hundred and sixty-five Orthodox Gods of the Nether Bureaucracy within his body was an extremely difficult path, it was still a path he could walk.

At the same time, Mu Lin’s unconscious disregard for his surroundings, his complete immersion in contemplation, was also… an epiphany.

Yes, Mu Lin had once again entered a state of epiphany.

During this epiphany, the progress of his cultivation methods—whether the Taiyin Life-Nurturing Scripture or the Mindscape – Sky Burial City—soared rapidly, even advancing to the next stage.

However, unlike before, where Mu Lin would rely on proficiency to push his cultivation methods to the brink of advancement before entering an epiphany, this time, after witnessing the mysteries of the Grave Lord’s Realm and connecting them with his prior knowledge, he entered the epiphany first, which then triggered the advancement of his cultivation methods.

Thus, this advancement could be said to be achieved through Mu Lin’s own efforts, pushing his cultivation methods to the Master Realm without relying on the Attribute Panel.

Of course, the Attribute Panel was not entirely useless—it extended the duration of his epiphany.

“Three hundred and sixty-five divine positions, forming a Netherworld Palace and divine domain within my body—this is indeed a path to the heavens. But merely stacking divine power feels monotonous and fails to fully utilize my capabilities… Arrays—I can use arrays to connect these divine positions… The Twilight Illusion Life-Death Array and the Celestial Fortress Array can serve as the foundation to link the three hundred and sixty-five Orthodox Gods of the Nether Bureaucracy, constructing a complete Netherworld divine domain within my body.”

“…I also have a cultivation method for nurturing deities—the God-Monarch Summoning Art can nurture deities… Now, I have already nurtured Zhong Kui, one of the Orthodox Gods of the Nether Bureaucracy.”

“Moreover, my deities don’t need to be permanently anchored within my body. The Grandmaster-level Substitute Paper Figure allows me to transmit power remotely. I only need to leave a mark in my acupoints and nurture the deities externally—this will make the process faster… Thus, the three hundred and sixty-five Orthodox Gods of the Nether Bureaucracy can exist both externally and internally…”

“…Substitute Paper Figures, Substitute·Deity Dharma Images—my three hundred and sixty-five Substitute Paper Figures can be nurtured into three hundred and sixty-five Substitute·Deities…”

The more he pondered, the more insights Mu Lin gained. Unbeknownst to him, the cultivation methods in his Attribute Panel began to merge.

The Taiyin Life-Nurturing Scripture, Mindscape – Sky Burial City, Twilight Illusion Life-Death Array, Celestial Fortress Array, God-Monarch Summoning Art… These cultivation methods gradually fused into one during Mu Lin’s epiphany, forming a majestic, vast, and solemn True Spirit Karma Diagram.

What Mu Lin did not know was that the moment the Nether Bureaucracy·True Spirit Karma Diagram appeared, the world inexplicably echoed with the cries of ghosts and deities, and blood rain began to fall from the sky.

“Wailing…”

The endless weeping evoked an inexplicable sense of sorrow and panic.

This sudden anomaly terrified all the cultivators training in the secret realm.

Outside, the Clan Elders of the Aristocratic Families and Prince Liang, who had just breathed a sigh of relief, stood up in horror.

“What’s happening? Ghosts and deities wailing, blood rain falling from the sky—could it be that the Evil God is about to awaken again…”

“This commotion… is a sign of the evil god’s complete revival!”

“It’s over…”

This matter was too immense; even the sound of ghosts and deities weeping echoed outside, which terrified Prince Liang even more.

Even the East Sea King was startled by this scene and emerged from his room.

Blood rain falling from the sky, ghosts and deities wailing—this sight made the East Sea King narrow his eyes.

But soon, he shook his head and said, “This isn’t the revival of an evil god. Although it carries some eerie and ominous signs, along with certain taboos, it isn’t the path of the Scarlet Overlord. Instead, it’s an inexplicable force affecting the heavens and earth… The Grave Lord isn’t dead!”

“As expected, I knew a figure like him wouldn’t die so easily.”

“It was right not to force our way into the Grave Lord’s Realm…”

“What is he doing? This scene is a bit too frightening.”

The anomalies outside left everyone somewhat horrified.

Soon, they attributed the source of these anomalies to the Grave Lord, with no one suspecting Mu Lin at all.

The reason for this was that the anomalies were too vast, too widespread, and involved powers of an extremely lofty nature.

Even Prince Liang and the East Sea King felt a slight chill in their hearts due to the wailing of ghosts and deities and the blood rain falling from the sky.

If even they could be affected, no one would believe that this was the work of a minor cultivator at the Gang Condensation stage.

Thus, whether it was the Clan Elders of the Aristocratic Families, Prince Liang, or the East Sea King, their first suspicion was the revival of an evil god. After confirming there was no danger, they assumed it was the Grave Lord’s doing.

Naturally, Mu Lin was pleased with this outcome, as he had no desire to draw further attention.

However, at this moment, Mu Lin was unaware of the anomalies outside, still immersed in his epiphany.

This time, the resonance and vibration of numerous cultivation methods unexpectedly integrated the Paper Figure Curse as well.

The incorporation of this technique was also related to another Divine Position Mu Lin had nurtured, as well as the Book of Life and Death.

“…Now, I have nurtured quite a few deities: Zhong Kui is one, the City God is another, Ink Jiao – Hebo is yet another… Ink Jiao can also be further upgraded to become the Candle Dragon.”

“…Besides Zhong Kui, I have also nurtured another deity: Judge Cui Yu, Lord Cui of the Underworld.”

Zhong Kui and Cui Yu are the Civil and Military Judges of the Netherworld, and they are also the most famous among the Judges.

Among them, Military Judge Zhong Kui is renowned for devouring ghosts, while Civil Judge Cui Yu is known for presiding over the Book of Life and Death.

While spreading the stories of Cui Yu, Mu Lin naturally also propagated the fame of the Book of Life and Death.

Of course, merely spreading the stories wouldn’t cause the Book of Life and Death to appear.

Even though the will of the masses contains power, it would take thousands, or even millions, of years to nurture a treasure like the Book of Life and Death.

Fortunately, Mu Lin had anticipated this when spreading the tales.

In the myths he propagated, Lord Cui of the Underworld held not the original but a copy of the Book of Life and Death, which reduced the difficulty of its manifestation.

Additionally, Mu Lin used the Paper Figure Curse Technique to lay a foundation for the Book of Life and Death.

Previously, Mu Lin had experienced an epiphany with the Paper Figure Curse Technique, which allowed him to comprehend the mysteries of heavenly, earthly, and human calamities. Such a Paper Figure Curse Technique was even more suitable as the foundation for the Book of Life and Death.

Now, through Mu Lin’s enlightenment and the merging of cultivation methods, Cui Yu, the Lord of the Underworld, has been condensed, and the Book of Life and Death (copy) has appeared alongside him. Mu Lin’s mystical art—the Paper Figure Curse Technique—has also been integrated into the Book of Life and Death, becoming its core.

Moreover, the abilities fused into the Book of Life and Death extend far beyond just the Paper Figure Curse Technique. The life-substitution ability of the Grandmaster-level paper figures has also been incorporated—”Those who harm me shall suffer harm in return.”

As Mu Lin’s various cultivation methods merged into one, the Death Divinity he had refined also fused into the Book of Life and Death. This granted Mu Lin’s Book of Life and Death the ability to view others’ specific dates of death, that is, their lifespan limits, and even to cast death curses upon others.

“Just by writing, I can cause others to die… This has a hint of the Death Note about it. Writing… Calligraphy ability must not be neglected. The next advancement of the Book of Life and Death will likely require calligraphy to break through its limits.”

Source Rune – Stabilize has also been integrated—the Fixation ability. This allows Mu Lin to set others’ dates of death or impose other punishments. As long as his enemies cannot break through the “Stabilize” rune, they will never recover from their injuries, and death will become Fated Death, unavoidable no matter what.

“Unfortunately, this is not true Heavenly Mandate fixation. I am not the Heavenly Dao. The limit of the Fated Death I impose is the Source Rune – Stabilize. As long as others can break through the seal of the ‘Stabilize’ rune, they can escape their inevitable fate.”

Beyond the “Stabilize” rune, the City God’s judgment ability has also been incorporated. Those with heinous sins will face heavier punishments from the Book of Life and Death, and the shackles formed by their sins will be even harder to escape.

“Fated Death, injury fixation, judgment and punishment of evil… This Book of Life and Death is already my strongest offensive tool.”

“Buzz!”

As Mu Lin marveled, the Will of Humanity once again descended with its radiance.

No, not just the Will of Humanity—this time, the Will of Heaven also cast a glance toward Mu Lin.

(End of Chapter)